The Hippocratic Oath Has Become a Joke — And America’s Healthcare System Is the Punchline

Once upon a time, the Hippocratic Oath actually meant something. It symbolized integrity, compassion, and a physician’s duty to ease suffering. But somewhere between medical school debt, insurance company partnerships, pharmaceutical incentives, and a healthcare model built on profit instead of people, that oath became nothing more than decorative fluff recited at graduation and forgotten by lunchtime.

Let’s stop pretending; At some point, many doctors flip a switch: from caring → to billing.
from listening → to rushing.
from compassion → to condescension.

And anyone who has had the pleasure of dealing with the modern American medical machine knows exactly what I’m talking about. The Hard Truth About Doctors Today They won’t see you without coverage — unless you’re ready to hand over a limb as collateral.

The tone? Condescending, dismissive, impatient. Like you daring to ask about your own health is an inconvenience. The pleasantries? Phony. You can feel the script in their voice. The handwriting? Still illegible. We’re in 2025 and they’re scribbling like cave painters. And worst of all, they seem more excited about testing new procedures or prescribing the latest shiny medication than actually solving the problem you came in for.

It feels less like healthcare… and more like you’re the lab rat and they’re the grant application.

Why America Is Failing While Other Nations Thrive

Because the U.S. healthcare system isn’t designed to care for you — it’s designed to charge you.

The medical billing process is established by a combination of government bodies like the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and organizations like the American Medical Association (AMA), which maintains the CPT code set. Ultimately, hospitals are responsible for the execution of the billing process, which involves a financial filtration process - and almost all are allowed their own set of rules. Patient registration, coding, and claim submission to insurance payers.

Other countries have figured out that healthy citizens equal a healthier society. Free people from medical bankruptcy, chronic stress, and impossible costs, and guess what? They live longer, work better, and contribute more.

But in America? Medical billing is a business model. Insurance companies call the shots, not the physicians.

Prices aren’t transparent and full disclosure is . Everything is coded, denied, resubmitted, “pending approval,” or mysteriously out-of-network. Patients are treated like billing codes, not human beings. Meanwhile, nations with universal healthcare systems are out here providing basic dignity without forcing citizens to take out loans just to survive an ER visit. through a Good Faith Estimate, which is required for uninsured patients and can be requested by anyone. This estimate should provide an itemized list of anticipated costs for scheduled services, including potential hospital fees, medical tests, and other related expenses. You can also request an itemized bill after services are rendered to check for accuracy or dispute charges

The Oath Isn’t the Problem — The System Is

Now, (only with the opinions of some), there are many still that cite foreigners have been running the how and "taking over" the American medical field however in the most recent academic year (2023-2024), over 96% of graduates from U.S. medical schools were U.S. citizens or permanent residents. So, we can rule out that theory and other 'colorful' notions. *See below for supporting acknowledgments.

International students (non-U.S. citizens/permanent residents) represented less than 2% of medical school matriculants (first-year students)
I’m not saying every doctor is heartless. Plenty of them enter the field with real compassion. But the system they work under is so warped, so controlled by corporations, that the original purpose of medicine gets swallowed whole.

In a profit-based system, humanity becomes optional.

And the Hippocratic Oath becomes a cute little quote on a diploma. America Can Do Better — But It Won’t Until We Demand It. The U.S. doesn’t lack resources. It lacks respect for the people living in it. Until healthcare stops being a luxury and becomes a right, we’ll continue living in a system where getting sick feels like a financial threat.

Doctors shouldn’t need to “be reminded” their oath. It is supposedly a got damn OATH. Below is a sharable infographic; Circulate it where everyone’s you see them squandering their abilities.

*Acknowledgements:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11892059/#:~:text=International%20medical%20students%20(IMS;%20non,%25%20of%20US%2DMD%20matriculants.
https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/preprofadvising/pre-medhealth/applicants/special-applicant-groups/international-applicants/
https://prehealth.umd.edu/prospective-students/facts-figures#:~:text=Fewer%20than%2045%25%20of%20all%20applicants%20to,and%20for%20Dentistry%20%2D%2059%25%20(%20Dental).
https://uag.edu/residency-match#:~:text=The%20majority%20of%20UAG's%20medical%20graduates%20are,preparing%20them%20for%20successful%20careers%20in%20healthcare.

Everybody deserves to get paid what they’re worth — specifically if your career is an essential field such as medicine and the sciences. This is the overall consensus of any populace within any society, however, said professionals also know that the average Joe and pain Jane didn’t create this society where athletes make millions while the people trained to literally keep us alive are drowning in student debt and burnout. That’s a systemic problem. But guess what? It ain’t OUR fault. And it sure as hell shouldn’t make getting sick in America feel like walking into a financial firing squad.

We’re out here fearful of the ER bill before we can even be worried about our damn ailment. Imagine that. “Doc, my chest hurts.” “Oh, well, so will your wallet.”

HELLOOOOOOO?! This is the only country where a hospital wristband may as well say DO NOT RESUSCITATE because if the illness doesn’t kill you, the invoice will. Who the hell wants CPR when the medical field is ready to jump on your chest AND your bank account?

Miss me with the robotic bedside manners and the sympathy scripts. Miss me with the fake smiles and the bill-padding. Miss me with your “healthcare” that cares more about codes and reimbursement than humans. At this point? FUCK IT. I mean the system is obviously broken, so let us just call it what it is: a legalized shakedown covered up in lab coats.

THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH VS MODERN MEDICAL PRACTICE
A truth-based comparison — no sugarcoating.

SECTION 1 — TEACH WITHOUT FEE

The Oath:
“Teach this Art freely… without fee or stipulation.”

Modern Reality:

Medical education is one of the most expensive,
debt-heavy systems in existence. Entry requires massive
loans, exclusivity, and financial gatekeeping.

SECTION 2 — THE PATIENT COMES FIRST

The Oath: “Act only for the benefit of the patient.”

Modern Reality:

Patient care is filtered through:
• Insurance demands
• Productivity quotas
• 7–10 minute appointments
• Billing codes that outrank human needs

SECTION 3 — DO NO HARM

The Oath: “Abstain from whatever is deleterious
and mischievous.”

Modern Reality:
• Overdiagnosis
• Overprescription
• Pharma influence
• Symptom control over root-cause healing

SECTION 4 — NO DEADLY MEDICINE

The Oath:

“I will give no deadly medicine nor suggest such counsel.”

Modern Reality:

Common treatments include:
• Severe side-effect profiles
• Long-term dependency
• High-risk medications normalized because they’re
profitable

SECTION 5 — PURITY & HOLINESS OF PRACTICE

The Oath:

“With purity and holiness I will practice my Art.”

Modern Reality:

The system rewards:

• Burnout
• Defensive medicine
• Liability avoidance
• Rushed, impersonal care
• Documentation over compassion